Connecting a series of car-brakes



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. P. MOODY.

Operating Car Brakes.

PatentedSept. 26, 1854.

2. Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. MO0DY.,

Operating Car Brakes.

Patented Sept. 26. 1854.

UNITED STATES PAUL MOODY OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

CONNECTING A SERIES OF CAR-BRAKES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,7 32, dated September 26, 1854.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL MoonY, of'Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented a new, useful, and improved mode of applying steam power to operate the brakes of cars in a train upon a railroad, whereby the engineer upon the locomotive drawing the train is enabled at will to work the said brakes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing under the floor or platform, and attached thereto, at each end, of every car of which a train may be composed a right angular lever or arms connected by a rod or rods, the face arm of which extends beyond the floor or platform at the end of the car, movable on a pin or fulcrum in a center at the angle; to which lever or arms the brakes of the car are connected by a fork or double cam motion, capable of working both ways from a center. When the cars so prepared are coupled together the face arms extending beyond the floor or platforms respectively lap or pass each other (the bearing faces of these levers or arms Wherethey lap or pass each other between cars should be of such curve orcurves as to communicate'and produce a uniform motion)the said two faces so bearing upon each other as to give a lateral motion when any power is appliedl A connection is thus made through a whole train from the locomotive which is provided with a similar lever or arms at the end toward the car.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to de scribe its construction and operation.

Figure 1 is a plan and elevation of a locomotive and train of cars on which are shown the position and line of connection on a car and from one car to another and from the locomotive through a train of cars. A is a small steam cylinder of about two feet stroke placed on a locomotive and to be so connected with the boiler by pipes with suitable cocks or valves that the engineer can let steam in and out, at pleasure. a is a rod connecting the piston rod 5 withlever or arm 0 of the first right angular lever or arms B (which may be on either a locomotive as described here or on a tender) movbale on its I fulcrum a. The face arm 03 extending to and beyond the end of the locomotive on the line of its center sufficiently to pass on the face side of a like right angular lever or arms on the next or first car C from the locomotive, so that when coupled and at rest in its central position, the proper points equidist-ant between the fulcrums of the connecting levers or arms shall bear together as at h The end of the lever or arm 6 of the r1ght angular lever or arms D under and attached to the floor of the said first car C is connected with a like lever or arm f under the floor at the other end of the said car C by connecting rods 9 g passing diagonally across the car. The fulcrum or pin at joint e is equidistant from its fulcrum z with the point of bearing between the car C at h and the locomotive. a. By the motion of face arm (Z working on face arm h, power and motion are communicated to the right angular lever or arms D onthe said first car and M thus from one car to another. The faces of the two levers orarms d and h connect the motion from the locomotive to the car. The lever or arm 2' of the right angular lever or arms E extends beyond the other end of car 1 C to bear as before specified on the face of lever or arm 7', on the next or second carF and so on through any. number of cars. Under the center part of the floor and attached to the floorof car C and others (an angle is variable according to the length of it car, width or other circumstance) he d by the studsl Z andset screws m m (see Fig; 3) on which slides a box or nut 13 attached to which each side of the box or nut by the joints or w and the stirrups 0 0 into which the ends of the connecting rods 9 g are secured by two screw nuts capable of adjusting the length of the rods.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the right angular lever or arms B staple bar H and part of rod a to connect with piston of steam cylinder together in position as they would be on the locomotive. The right angular lever or arms B (as well as all others) may be made of wood or metal and quite light if braced by a rod or bar 9 as shown at Fig. 4 making it a triangle; For a car eight about two inches wide, it may be upset at;

i the place where the face is to be, to get a desirable breadth of bearing or a flat piece 10 may be welded to its edge at that'place to make the face. The lever or arms may be lighter or heavier as circumstances may require and tapering in the arms, the face of the'lever is a reversed curve as represented in Fig. 4:, the radius of each curve being about eighteen inches, the center of each being on a radius of three feet ten inches and three fourths of an inch of which the ful crum is the center. (The scale of Fig. 4 is about one inch to the foot.) When the right angular lever is finished, the distance from the center of fulcrum z to the pin-orfulcrum at joint 0 at the end of the lever or arms is three footten inches and three'fourths of an inch the distance from the center of the same fulcrum on the lever or face arm 03 to. point of bearing (as at h Fig. 4) on the face is the same viz three feet ten inches and three fourths of an inch. The face at the bearing point is at a right angle with a line through the center of the lever or arm 0 and fulcrum sand extends beyond thepoint of bearing about eleven inches inthe direction of its curve. The staple bar H may be made of 5 wood or metal and need be no "heavier or stronger than necessary to support and stand the motion of the lever or arms. It s about two feet long in the staple and to bebolted on in a proper position, so that the back side 40 of the lever or arm may bear firmly against the side 2 of the staple (the other end of staple bar on end on'which'the face of the lever might strike may be set further back from the end of the locomotive (a'car) so that the end or point of its connecting lever may freely pass when the cars are coupled together without striking itth1s remark is applicable to the location of other staples hereinafter mentioned) the face of the lever at bearing point being full up to the center line of the fulcrum and locomotive. connecting rod a may be small but of suitable strength and length tocOnnect with piston'of the steam cylinder wherever 1t may be placed on a locomotive. This rod may connect at other points orplaces on the arm 0 that may be more convenient than at the end 0 in locating the fixtures on a locomotive or this arm may be shorter (on the locomotive).

Fig. 3 is a connected perspective View of the different parts orpieces. G is the compensating motion to be under the center of a car (70 is the bar,% the sliding box or nut, 0, 0, the stirrups jointed with the Thev sliding box or nut at 05 110-1, Z, the studs to support the slide bar, m, m, the set screws to hold it, 9, g, the; connecting rods passing diagonally across a car from each stirrup to the lever or arms at each end of a car) Dis the right angular lever or arms as before .described,'Y. the staple bar, to support the "lever or face arm and to hold and support the double cam or fork and its parts making connection with the brakes, s is the double cam or fork on the top end of its axle t, 'uis the cross bar at its bottom'end, 0, o, are the chains from the cross bar to the end of rod or chain 6 coming from brake levers.

I Fig. 5 is a separate perspective view of the double cam or fork s, with its aXle 6, cross bar 1;, chains a, o, and end of brake rod 6.

Fig. 6 is an edge view of a lever or face arm 0?, a is a stud-or pin on its under side to connect and give motion to the double cam or fork into which it works see Fig. 7.

Fig. 8 is an edge view of Fig. 7.'

. The right angular lever or arms'before described on each car should be alike. The staple bar Y for allcars which are liable to be reversed or turned end for end and connecting with a brake or brakes should be of suflicient width in the staple and strength to permit the face of the lever or arms to move two feet (more or less if desirable) each way from the, central position and the depth aboutfour inches or sufficient for ,the thickness of the lever .or. arms at the fafce' the outside edge of the double cam or fork should'bjejbeveled off to prevent the end .or face lever from a coupled car, catching'against it or an edge on the staple "bar may be raised each side of the said cam or fork, its. thicknessbut so as'to allow it to move the requisite distance iifreely. A small additionalstaple' bar w (which should be braced fromthe "car) of suitable size and strength is to be fastened centrally to the under side of the. mainjstaple bar Y (or other suitable arrangement to hold the lower endof axles t ofthe double cam or fork S). The double cam or fork S Fig. 7 may be of iron about one inch thick and eachprong about two inches wide at the crotch tapering to about one in'ch'at the points. The crotch of the double cam.- or fork maybe about two inches wide or of a size to correspond With the stud or pin X (shown on the under side of the lever or arm Fig. 6) which works in it--the fork widens gradually on a curve for about six inches which curve isthen reversed becoming the radius of the center of fulcrum in the right angular lever or arms (all being in. position) when the stud or pin has arrived at the point on the camv or either prong of fork where the curve reverses. The point wherethe curve reverses on each cam of the double cam or I from this point to the ends of the double cam or forks, the stud pin works freely backward and forward without afl'ectin the brakes except to hold them tight or bar up. This cam or motion may be varied in form or shape so as to draw the brakes quicker or slower or in a greater or less motion or it may be connected to the other arm.

By letting steam into the cylinder A Fig. l at the end I) the piston 12 and rod a would move in the direction of p pulling the lever or arm 0 and communicating power and motion through the lever or face arm d of the right angular lever or arms B to the right angular lever or arms D on car C and through connecting rods 9, g, and compensating-motion G to the right angular lever or arms E on the other end of car C and so on through a train of any number of cars. On the under side of each face arm projects a stud or pin that works in the double cam or fork so that the motion of the said lever either way moves the said cam or fork with its axle and cross bar and draws one or other of the two chains which unite together to the end of the rod coming from the brake levers so that when the face arm moves, the cam or fork moves also either way, as the case may be, drawing one or other of the chains and of course drawing the brakes tight. When more motion is required than a cross bar of desirable length would give, a wheel or part of a wheel or pulley hollowed or ooved in the edge for the chain to work in, may be used in place of the cross bar.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The arrangement of bent levers B and D at each end of every car, having their longitudinal arms projecting beyond the ends of each car in such manner, that when the cars are coupled together, the faces of each opposing arm shall come into contact and without any fastenings form a continuous mechanism for operating the brakes throughout a trainsubstantially as above described.

PAUL MOODY.

Witnesses: SAML. GRUBB, 

